Since his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, Novak Djokovic has taken much of the summer off to recuperate and prepare for the U.S. Open. At this stage of his career, peaking at the grand slams and adding to his GOAT-leading major count is the top priority.
When Djokovic announced his North American hardcourt swing would kick off at the Cincinnati Open, there was an added element of surprise to his announcement. In addition to headlining the singles field, Djokovic will be making an unexpected addition to the doubles field alongside fellow Serbian, Nikola Cacic.
Cacic, currently ranked No. 59 in doubles, is an accomplished doubles player in his own right with three career ATP doubles titles and a career-high ranking of No. 35. He and Djokovic have played together in Davis Cup and ATP over the last few years with mixed results.
Much to the delight of Cincinnati fans and tournament organizers, Djokovic and Cacic will take on the veteran doubles pair of Jamie Murray and Michael Venus in the first round. If they win their opener, the Serbian duo will face off against the world’s number one team of Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in the Round of 16.
It’s not often we see the game’s elite players like Djokovic sign up for doubles, but when it happens, it always brings a welcome boost of attention to the doubles game. Most tennis fans know plenty about Djokovic’s singles career, but what do you know about his doubles career?
As Djokovic prepares to take the doubles court this week in Cincy, here’s a doubles deep dive on the 23-time grand slam singles champion to catch you up to speed. Let’s just say some things might surprise you.
1. Djokovic Has a Losing Doubles Record
“Losing” and Djokovic are rarely two words tennis fans see in the same sentence. Contrary to his impressive singles career record of 1064-211 (84%), Djokovic’s doubles record of 62-77 (45%) won’t be getting him the nod for doubles GOAT conversations anytime soon.
In fact, Djokovic has won more singles titles (94) than he has doubles matches (62) throughout his career thus far. However, let’s be fair. If Djokovic had ever wanted to prioritize doubles more consistently throughout his career, I think it’s safe to say he would have a winning record (and then some).
2. One-Title Wonder in ATP Doubles Events
Djokovic’s only ATP doubles title came over a decade ago on the grass at Queens Club. In 2010, he partnered with Jonathan Elrich to claim the doubles title in Queens against Karol Beck/David Skoch 6-7, 6-2, 10-3 in the finals. Around this same time period, Djokovic reached his career-high doubles ranking of No. 114.
Apart from his lone ATP doubles trophy, Djokovic has posted two runner-up finishes (2007 Adelaide, 2021 Mallorca) and six semi-finalist performances at Masters 1000 events:
- 2009 Monte Carlo (partner: Viktor Troicki)
- 2013 Beijing (Stan Wawrinka)
- 2015 Doha (Filip Krajinovic)
- 2015 Montreal (Janko Tipsarevic)
- 2018 Doha (Marko Djokovic)
- 2019 Indian Wells (Fabio Fognini)
3. Serbian Success at Davis Cup and ATP Cup
Perhaps Djokovic’s greatest triumphs on the doubles courts have come while representing his home country of Serbia. In 2010, he helped lead Team Serbia to its first Davis Cup title with an emphatic 3-2 win over France in front of a rowdy home crowd in Belgrade.
Although Djokovic didn’t play doubles in the finals, he played doubles rubbers leading up to the finals and won both of his singles rubbers in the finals which put Serbia in a strong position to clinch the trophy. Throughout his Davis Cup career, Djokovic has posted a 4-6 doubles record, a quite mediocre statistic compared to his 38-7 singles record.
Ten years later, Djokovic led the Serbian squad to the 2020 ATP Cup title with a 2-1 victory over Spain where he was a prominent fixture in both singles and doubles. In the finals, Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6 before teaming with Viktor Troicki to defeat Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4 to clinch the title.
4. Olympic Bronze Medal Despair: A Mixed Doubles Debacle in Tokyo
Although Djokovic has played some of his most inspired tennis while wearing the Serbian flag on his sleeve, playing for Serbia at the Olympics has been a bittersweet occasion for him filled with heartbreaks and reputation blunders.
In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Djokovic was on a mission to capture Olympic medals in both singles and mixed doubles. After suffering a surprise loss to Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in the bronze medal match, Djokovic finished 4th place – arguably the most disappointing Olympics finish to barely miss out on a medal twice. It was clear the mental and physical exhaustion had taken a toll on him.
As a result, he withdrew from his bronze medal match in the mixed doubles event, robbing Serbian partner Nina Stojanovic of the chance to win her first Olympic medal. Djokovic’s questionably selfish decision was widely criticized by international media, tennis fans, and Stojanovic to a certain degree, who posted an emotional statement about her Olympic experience on social media.
5. Two-Time Hopman Cup Finalist with Jankovic & Ivanovic
Before Djokovic’s mixed doubles debacle at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, his mixed doubles resume was far more well-received and light-hearted. He posted a strong mixed doubles track record at Hopman Cup alongside the top two Serbian WTA players of his era – former world No. 1s Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic.
In 2008, he teamed with Jankovic to earn a runner-up trophy at Hopman Cup, falling short against Team USA (Serena Williams and Mardy Fish) 7-6, 6-2 in the finals. Five years later, he posted another runner-up performance at Hopman Cup in 2013 with Ana Ivanovic. The Serbian pair lost in the finals to the Spanish duo of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-4 in the deciding mixed doubles rubber.
6. Djokovic’s Doubles Partner Rolodex
Since making his professional doubles debut in 2003, Djokovic has shared the doubles court with 43 different partners that includes family members, an impressive roster of Serbian countrymen, and some of his top career singles rivals. He has played doubles in ATP events with both of his younger brothers, Marko Djokovic and Djordje Djokovic.
He and Marko have teamed up together multiple times, with their best performance coming at Doha in 2018 when they reached the semi-finals. He also teamed with Djordje, the youngest Djokovic brother, in 2015 at the China Open where they advanced to the quarterfinals.
His long list of Serbian partners includes former doubles world No. 1 Nenad Zimonjic, Viktor Troicki, Janko Tipsarevic, Nikola Cacic (his partner this week in Cincinnati), Filip Krajinovic, Dusan Vemic, and brothers Marko/Djordje.
Outside of Serbian partners, Djokovic has also played doubles with many of his rivals and the game’s biggest singles stars over the last two decades:
- Rafael Nadal (2010 Canadian Open)
- Roger Federer (2018 Laver Cup)
- Andy Murray (2006 Australian Open, 2011 Miami Open)
- Stan Wawrinka (2018 Queens, 2014 Canadian Open, 2013 China Open)
- Maron Cilic (2020 Dubai)
- Kevin Anderson (2018 Canadian Open)
- Fabio Fognini (2019 Indian Wells)
- Matteo Berretini (2022 Laver Cup)
7. Assessing Djokovic’s Doubles Career vs. Big 4 Rivals
In 2023, it’s clear that Djokovic has surpassed Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the GOAT conversation for singles career accolades. Doubles, however, is another story. Among The Big 3 and The Big 4 (including Andy Murray), Djokovic’s doubles accomplishments lag behind his rivals in terms of career winning percentage and doubles titles:
- Rafael Nadal: 138-75 (65%), 11 titles, Olympic doubles gold medal (2016)
- Roger Federer: 131-93 (58%), 8 titles, Olympic doubles gold medal (2008)
- Andy Murray: 80-82 (49%) and 3 titles
- Stan Wawrinka: 81-102 (44%), 3 titles, Olympic doubles gold medal (2008)
- Novak Djokovic: 62-77 (45%) and 1 title
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With his unexpected doubles entry in Cincinnati alongside fellow Serb Nikola Cacic, could Djokovic and Cacic be eyeing an Olympic doubles run together at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris?
Anyone who follows Djokovic’s career knows an Olympic gold medal (in singles or doubles) is the only missing crown jewel on his record-breaking list of accomplishments. Given that singles remains his top priority as he enters the back stretch of his career, the chances of seeing Djokovic take the doubles court will likely be few and far between from now until whenever he decides to hang up his racquets.
Let’s enjoy it while we can.
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